June 27 – 29, 2025
After Bayfield, Wisconsin, our next stop was International Falls, Minnesota.
We were unable to get camping reservations at our first choice, Rainy Lake RV park, so we stayed at Voyageurs RV Campground and Cabins (formerly Arnolds RV Park as noted on the sign). We had reserved site #2, a full-hook up pull-thru site. Unfortunately the back entrance into the park was flanked by trees with low branches that scraped the top of the rig as we pulled in. By the time we were finally past the trees, we were beyond where we could pull into our site. Instead, we had to take the loop through the campground to the other entrance and then back into our site. I’m not sure why, but there were two dead trees flanking the front of the site which made it extremely difficult to back into. But, we made it. Unfortunately, the traffic noise from the nearby street was loud and the view from our dining window of the cabin next door with 2 vehicles and a boat was less than picturesque.
Our reason for stopping in International Falls was so that we could visit Voyageurs National Park.
Voyageurs National Park
Voyageurs National Park spans 218,000 acres of lakes, forests, and streams in northern Minnesota. Established in 1975, the park is named after the French-Canadian Voyageurs who once navigated these abundant waters. Voyageurs National Park provides exceptional opportunities for recreation and exploration amidst landscapes rich in natural beauty, history, and cultural heritage.
National Park Service
There are no roads into Voyageurs National Park so a boat or boat tour is required. We already had reservations for the 2.5 hour Grand Tour from Rainy Lake Visitor Center but decided that the Life on the Lake tour sounded interesting too.
Travel into Namakan Lake to learn about the many inhabitants who have called this beautiful, rugged, and sometimes harsh environment home, and hear stories about the unique ways in which people have made their living in the wild of the Northwoods. Disembark at I.W. Stevens Island to walk among the old cabins and lodge from one of the earliest resorts, and visit Hoist Bay to explore and learn about this historic location’s evolution from the logging days into the recreational era. There are accessible paths at IW, but not at Hoist Bay.
Voyageurs National Park Tours
We drove to the Ash River Visitor Center (about 45 minutes away) to see if we could possibly snag a seat on the 1:30 tour. Luckily they had space. Unlike the weather in the Apostle Islands, here it was hot.
Our first stop was at the I.W. Stevens Island Resort.
As the original home of the Virginia and Rainy Lake Lumber Company retreat, Stevens Island was untouched by logging. This site preserves historic structures from the recreation and resort era of the 1930s.
In 1905, the Virginia and Rainy Lake Lumber Company was founded by Edward Hines, an innovative lumberman and businessman from New York. Hines started his career in Chicago where he caught the eye of Frederick Weyerhaeuser, his future partner.These men pooled their resources and the Virginia and Rainy Lake lumber Company was born. Its main sawmill was located in Virginia, Minnesota, where it processed one million board feet of lumber a day.
In the heyday of the Virginia and Rainy Lake Lumber Company, when it dominated the lumber industry, Edward Hines housed the company’s retreat on then Williams Island, present day Stevens Island. While the towering red and pines were logged off elsewhere, Hines preserved them on this island. Amidst this picturesque scenery, Hines invited and entertained lumber buyers at this cozy retreat.
In 1929, pine logging ended, and Hines put his land holdings up for sale. In 1932, Ingvald Walter (I.W.) Stevens purchased the island with the intent of building a summer resort.
Stevens was born in Vang, Valdres Norway in 1885 and immigrated to the United States at the age of 19. In 1918, he moved to Hibbing and became a shoe salesman. Following his doctor’s advice after stress related health problems, Stevens moved to the solitude of Namakan Lake. In 1937, Pine Cove Resort welcomed its first paying guests.
In 1959, at the age of 74, I.W. Stevens, “Steve” to his friends, gave up the resort business. No longer would he have to harvest ice, cut wood, paint boats, and clean cabins for anyone other than himself. Steve grew his own vegetables, picked and canned blueberries, ground wheat to make bread, caught fish, and hunted deer.
He cut wood for heating and cooking, hauled water from the lake, and harvested ice for summer refrigeration. He was a man that lived off the land.
Over the years, Steve entertained many family and friends until he left the island in 1979. Steve passed away in 1990 at the age of 104, 58 years after moving north to keep his health. He lived alone on the island for nearly fifty years and became a symbol of self-sufficiency and independence.
nps.gov
The second stop on the tour was Hoist Bay.
To transport logs to the sawmill before the days of modern logging technology, logs had to be floated down rivers and winched across lakes in giant booms by amphibious boats called gators. Hoist Bay, home of the Virginia and Rainy Lake Logging Camp 75, was one of these destinations.
At Hoist Bay, a hoist machine lifted the logs out of the water and placed them on empty train cars for transportation. Pictured below is the railroad trestle and hoist built across the water. The train then transported the logs to Virginia, Minnesota to be cut into boards.
Between 1913 and 1929 the camp in Hoist Bay operated for 16 years. In its lifetime, 13.5 million board feet of lumber entered its waters. By 1929 most of the white and red pine stands were cut; Camp 75 was shut down and dismantled, ending one part of the Hoist Bay story.
nps.gov
A short walk from the bay was Monsons Resort.
The Hoist Bay area lay dormant for almost 10 years, changing ownership 50 times, until 1939 when Ted and Fern Monson purchased the land, starting a new chapter in its history.
When the Monsons arrived, there were few reminders of the previous logging era. The only remnants included the railroad trestle, an old root cellar, and a garbage dump.
Between 1939 and 1945 the Monsons built 4 cabins; each cabin had 4 bedrooms, a kitchen, and a living room. Modern amenities such as indoor bathrooms and electricity were added in the 1950s.
In all, the Monsons built 14 buildings that were enjoyed by summer visitors, and they catered to their guests’ needs for 35 years only closing for 3 years during World War 2.
Ted and Fern decided to sell the resort in 1973, and in 1978 the Hoist Bay land was acquired by the National Park Service. It was designated a point of interest for visitors, and a new chapter in the history of Hoist Bay began.
nps.gov
From the resort, we returned to the visitor center. The tour provided a relaxing boat ride and a nice introduction to this beautiful area.
When we returned to our campsite, we found that our circuit breaker was repeatedly cutting our power due to a campground issue. When Bill called to report the issue a fellow came out. He basically said that since our RV and two others were on the same line and all running air conditioners, there was nothing he could do. Uncomfortable with the overall situation, it was at that point that we cancelled our Grand Tour for the next day, modified our campground reservation at our next location, and packed up so the we could leave the following day. If you can visualize the “fun” we had initially getting into our site at this campground, getting out was twice as bad. What’s a few more scratches on the rig?
We did have a visitor just before we pulled out though.
Next stop – Canada!!
